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Students sit on 50, but for how long?Ever since football coach Pat Hill came to Fresno State in 1997, he’s rolled out the W-E-L-C-O-M-E mat for the students—right at the 50-yard line. But for the sake of the “competitive edge,” he might have to put a U-N on that mat and tell the students to get the hell out. Officials are pointing to the possibility of the Western Athletic Conference adopting a rule prohibiting the student section from remaining behind the visiting team’s bench as a catalyst for any future move. It doesn’t sound unreasonable. Our student section has been accused of cursing at visiting fans, throwing screwdrivers at opposing coaches and hurling beers at the visitors’ bench. But Hill insists he wants the student section to stay put. “ I love the students here,” Hill said. “I’m tired of the students getting a bad rap.” The student section has gotten that rap while taking up some of the most high profile real estate Fresno has to offer on Saturday nights—and sometimes on Fridays. “ The students have some of the best seats in the stadium,” Hill said. And the athletic department has taken preliminary steps to consider moving the student section from the best seats in the house to… Well, talks haven’t gotten in depth enough to say where, assistant athletic director Steve Weakland said. But there aren’t a lot of options, and banishment to one of the end zones seems the most probable. Athletic department officials are saying if it happens, it won’t be anytime soon—if at all. The easiest way for the school to adhere with any rule the WAC might pass is a lot simpler than relocating the entire student section. It doesn’t involve any of the logistical problems of displacing perennial season-ticket holders and moving them to another area, even though they should be more than happy to take the students’ ringside seats. There is an easier group of people to displace—the players. If Hill was willing to swap his sideline with the opposition’s, the students would no longer be behind the visiting bench. They’d be right behind Hill’s bunch. That may be the best incentive to get the coach to open up his playbook. If he doesn’t stop sitting on the ball, the students are liable to empty the contents of their toolboxes in his direction. Switching the sidelines would allow the team to comply with possible future sportsmanship guidelines and make Hill call a pass play every once in a while—kill two birds with one bottle of beer, so to speak. Hill has gone on record saying he would swap sidelines before moving the students, but when stacked against the reasons for Hill’s choice of sideline positioning, it’s hard to imagine a sideline swap before a student one. Chalk it up to the competitive edge. Hill’s assistants can see the opposing team’s substitutions better from the press box. They can make their calls faster, and the better vantage point of the visitors’ sideline helps ensure the Bulldogs have the right personnel grouping on the field. Plus, whoever sits in front of the students has the sun in their eyes for games with early start times. The students can’t compete with that. Sure we yell and scream, but in comparison with variables that can make an actual difference between a win and a loss, rowdiness doesn’t count for much. Think about it. What should Hill choose? A win in a close game and the students ticked off in the end zone or a devastating loss with the sun in his eyes? And the ‘But-the-students-would-be-happy’ argument won’t save the student section from relocation. There is only one hope. Since nobody is ready to admit that this change will take place as early as next season, it leaves one full slate of home games for the students to prove they’re not as bad as the grapevine says. Be on your best behavior next season students. Keep your beers in your hands, your tools in your box and your fists in your pockets. If you don’t, the athletic department should be happy to welcome you to the end zone. Don’t forget the binoculars. |